[patagonia]

I find it insane that the top comment is focused on India. 1) this is a global issue and 2) the US created the template from which other countries are pushing forward. Blaming this in one region or country without calling out the contributions to the problem by the US is nuts.

[whatok]

https://www.dw.com/en/almost-all-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-...

[patagonia]

I’m not disagreeing about the source of the plastic. I’m suggesting that talking about the source of the plastic without also discussing issues such as western oil and chemical companies operating in the regions this plastic is generated ignores fundamental issues such as the undermining of regulatory regimes by these same companies to keep costs down. CO2 has a similar story. India didn’t wake up and come up with this technology on their own. The infrastructure to produce this plastic is in place to supply more than just their demand. This is geopolitical and not purely technical.

Edit: if it was purely technical then god help us given Silicon Valley’s view on regulation.

[temperfidelis2x]

The problem is generally not that we are producing plastic. The problem is that some people just throw it away when it's broken / old / what ever, essentially dumping it to the flowing water to get rid of it. This behaviour and attitude towards nature is something that I as a westerner just can't understand and I won't accept any blame-shifting games here.

Poverty is also a very bad excuse to dump plastic in nature. I have been poor as f*ck and the thought of dumping garbage around hasn't even once crossed my mind. Urgent action (like severe fines and even jail-time and such for dumping plastic, but also positive reinforcement) is something the developing countries need.

[patagonia]

It is as if you are also not reading my comment.

I’m not shifting blame. I’m sharing it. Look into some of the places the plastic grocery bag you “recycle” get handled. In some cases they are put on a ship and sent to India, sorted by hand, then melted using dirty fuels, again, by hand. So this “America takes care of its plastic, so India should too” is flat out wrong. We may not be as bad, but we do not handle our own issue completely. And if the US is sending your country their trash and doesn’t follow up with how it was handled, how is that not an incentive to do in the most cost effective manner possible, even if that means harming persons and environmental health?

Or let’s talk about clear cutting the Amazon for agriculture. How dare Brazil do that! Have you flown over middle America??? It’s all developed farm land. There are entire states that are basically monoculture agricultural where natural ecosystems used to be. Are you suggesting we return that land to its natural state?

Or let’s talk about electronics. Should we have jail time if you are responsible for purchasing a device without ensuring it was sourced in an environmentally responsible manner? Should people that purchased devices manufactured from raw materials derived by strip mining and processes that leach chemicals be given prison sentences?

[whatok]

What % of the plastic generated from the rivers in India and China are because of Western countries?

[patagonia]

It’s as if you’re not reading my comment.